Synthroid vs armour thyroid

Common Questions and Answers about Synthroid vs armour thyroid

synthroid

They thought I was in a Thyroid Storm. I was on Synthroid for 3-4 years and switched to 3 gr. Armour the last year as Armour has both T3 and T4 which the doctor thought I needed. ER took only a TSH which was 1.0. and ruled out Thyroid storm. Now, I am hearing they should of done a full panel Thyroid as Armour at times can cause more problems than Synthroid and T3 and T4 should of been check. Does anyone have any information on this?
Thanks much.

The use of ArmourvsSynthroid or Synthroid/Cytomel combination depends on the individual that is taking the medicine. Most patients only need Synthroid since the body converts T4 to T3. In some cases, like myself, Synthroid/Cytomel combination works the best since I'm having a hard time with the conversion.

Of course you know that Synthroid is T4 and Armour is a mix of T4 and T3 in a ratio of abut 4.2 to one. Whether this is the only reason for Armour being sometimes more effective is a long discussion.
Taking a med that contains T3, you can expect an increase in the levels of total T3 and also free T3 in your blood. Since free T3 is the most active thyroid hormone, it largely regulates metabolism and other symptoms.

I have no idea about all the ins and outs of Synthroidvs. Armour. I know that people sometimes have better results with one and then sometimes the other. In my case I found that even though taking a large dose of Synthroid (200mcg), I never became symptom free because my body was not converting T4 very well. When my doctor confirmed this by checking free T3, she decided to change my meds to a T4/T3 combination. I started feeling better very shortly thereafter.

5 mg of synthroid. I asked my endo about armour and she said you can't regulate it as well and the synthroid and wouldn't suggest it for me. I will be following this post as I wonder how many others have both symptoms and hashimoto and graves and how they are making out. I am just beginning to find out about this as my former endo didn't mention anything He just said it wasn't from my thyroid and that was the end of that.

I am more of an advocant of finding a med that helps the patient and not just "staying within the box" of the "norm"
Most doctors will not RX it because their "pockets" do not get full off off Forest Labs/Armour - vs- Abbott Labs/Synthroid.
I don't know any reputable drug site that do not list both meds and even a few others that have not been mentioned here.
Everyone is "made" different so we need to find the right therapy to help us get well.

There is some talk of people finding bottles with softer pills etc
A newer generic version called NP Thyroid is apparently the same formula as the old Armour?
Is Armour now FDA approved? I read they use organic pigs etc in their formulation however no one really knows how NP goes about their business. I've also seen many posts where people are very happy with NP Thyroid? It also seems to have the least amount of fillers compared to Naturethyroid and Armour...

Greetings from Hong Kong
I have been using Armourthyroid for the past 7 months. Use 125mg Armour once per day and also take 0.5mg of Thyroxin per day. I am a South African living in Hong Kong. In South Africa I used to use Eltroxin 0.1 mg 3 times a day. Here in Hong Kong I seem to shift between Hypothyroid and Hyperthyroid. I struggle to maintain weight. I weigh 44 Kilograms and find that I have tremors.
I do feel better since using Armour thyroid.

We have a ratio scale here in our Health Pages on the Armour ratios - vs- synthetics you can read.
Usually someone that takes a desiccated thyroid at 90 mg and is about to change to syntheic will look at a dosage of T4 Synthroid at .112mcg and then add Cytomel T3 with the Synthroid at about 10mcg. That is pretty close to the ratios you are use to with Armour.

I switched to ArmourThyroid about a month and a half ago. Recently I have been having problems with edema - esp. in my face and feet and ankles. I was wondering if this is normal and if it is, will it go away? I am even having problems breathing because of the amount of excess fluids.

After learning about the importance of Free T3 here on the Forum, I got mine tested and confirmed as low in the range. Got my doctor to switch my meds from Synthroid to ArmourThyroid. After some tweaking, I am now taking 3 grains of Armour. My Free T3 is now 3.9 (range of 2.3 - 4.2) and Free T4 is .84 (range of .60 - 1.50), and I feel best ever. For info my TSH has been around .05 or lower for about 30 years now.

hormones unless you are a vegetarian. Armour or synthroid really has to be a personal preference. Synthroid caused to many complications for me.
If you do decide to go to armour, I would advice you to titrate up. It will give your body a chance to adjust to the T3 and also to split your dose in to at least 2.
My endo recommended a shrink for me, after being in the room only 15 minutes. I say that is just their scapegoat when they don't know what to do.

I too have Hashi my AntiAB is 3179 and I have been on all the synthetic drugs- Levo - Synthroid/Cytomel, etc... I did not find any relief until I started taking Armour. This is not to say it will work for everyone! but I wanted to make sure you understood that takingArmour did not create your antibodies- your body did.
Hope this helped...
We're in this all together........

Taking Armour will not make your symptoms go away just because it is Armour. Armour will make your symptoms go away when your thyroid hormone levels are correct.
Trying Armour is fine. It way work well for you.
It will not control what your thyroid is doing any better than a synthetic hormone. If your levels are going up and down on Synthroid, they will continue to go up and down on Armour.
If your hormone levels continue to shift, you will continue to have symptoms and dosage adjustments.

she said my levels were like i still had my thyroid...so she increased my synthroid from 100 mcg to 125mcg. I showed her a pitcure of the rashes and my hair loss. and she said she didnt know why i was lossing my hair she referred my to a demrotogist...um no i told my docotor im not going to see her because there is nothing wrong its the meds!!! She ran a bunch of tests and in the between time i started taking a boat loads of vitamins....then the results are back everything came back great!

I think you are confusing Synthroid with Armour. Synthroid is a synthetic T4 medication, as is levothyroxine. The difference is the fillers and the price. As far as consistency, all the thyroid medications have had some issues. I am on Armour and I have been on the same dose for almost 5 years, so for me it is very consistent. Each of us do better on one medication over the other. There's no one medication for all.

Ok, so am I the only one who's had strange side effects with synthroid? I was on Armour Thryroid for years, but after the re-formulation, I started having hypo symptoms again. Dr put me on synthroid - 50 mcg. After 1 week, my sinus problems reoccured - hadn't had them since I started taking thyroid 7 years ago. After 1 month, I gained 8 lbs without changing my diet. After 3 months, I was getting heart palpitations and my hair/nails/skin was dry/brittle.

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